I appreciate everyone's feedback. My dog is 9 pounds. Usually 10. We picked him up from boarding?

... him for four days and found he was really injured. We don't know what happened. He has a horrible bruise along his spine. The vet prescribed tramadol. Quarter of a tablet. I was very nervous to give this. I followed a vets intrusctuons re: medication for my cat and the medication was metacam. My cat healed from surgery and died from renal failure due to the medication. Had I researched this I would have known that metacam should not have been administered to a cat. Definitely not by me everyday. Those were my vets instructions. Obviously I see another vet now. They don't even give that medication to dogs. I think you need to seek professional help, however we have to be our own advocates as well. Not everyone practice's medicine the same and ethically

Responses (3)

Hi, Pamela! Metacam is routinely given to both dogs and cats. In fact, Metacam is one of the very few analgesics approved for use in felines. Renal complications usually occur after inaccurate dosing and long-term use.The fact that a particular clinic adheres to a certain policy does not make them more knowledgable, more professional, nor ethical.My sympathy on your loss. WildcatVet

I appreciate your answer. I have worked in the medical field for over 20 years. I think you misunderstood my point and concern. My point is this... Not all clinics, vets etc practice the same. Some believe this drug is ok. Some believe it is not. I take my animals to a vet now that believes METACAM'S risks outweigh the pro's! The vet did admit he improperly prescribed this medication. His poor practicing did kill my cat. I learned to always look things up no matter what because Dr's all practice differently. Nobody is perfect and some make honest mistakes others make mistakes because they are trying to take the easier way out or less expensive way etc.. I dealt with the Comapany Metacam and they were not ok that this was given to to my cat. The way it was administered and wrote up by this vet became lethal. Speaking with the drug company at that time they admitted that small dogs had many horrible reactions to this as well.

Unless they have made some big changes with this drug recently that was my experience. The vet reimbursed me three thousand dollars and asked me not to sue him. I am not that way. I am just hoping to save another animal. I was just trying to save mine. I don't want another horrible experience because of medications. From what I have read Tramadol for a short period of time in the proper dose seems to be safe.

Hi, regarding the Metacam, there is a feline version for cats, the canine version should never be given to cats. Regarding Tramadol, it can be quite safely given to dogs as an analgesic. For your dogs weight, a quarter of a (50mg) tablet is a good/safe dose. I completely understand your concerns. Hopefully you won't need to use the Tramadol for more than a week, which will limit any side effects. I hope your dog is feeling better soon & I'm so sorry to hear about your cat